5 pin locks are found on a lot of the older euro cylinders but these are now made as 6 pin. The extra pin means the key is slightly longer and that's all it is. How easy is it to replace a euro cylinder? Very easy.
Aside from the number of cuts on the key, it's simple to determine if a key is a 5-pin or 6-pin key at a glance: A 6-pin key has a longer keystop on top. A 5-pin plug can be repinned to accomodate a 6-pin key.
The LISHI Kwikset (KW5) pin cylinder lock pick has changed the way we pick locks. These tools will work on any 6 pin KW5 lock - even with security pins, and it will not only pick - but also decode your locks. With practice - you can also open 5 pin Kwikset locks with this pick.
Euro Cylinders can vary in Length
The Euro Profile Cylinder, or Euro Lock Barrel as it is sometimes referred to, is available in a variety of lengths. Single or half Euro Cylinder locks typically range from 40mm to 50mm, whilst Euro Cylinders range from 60mm up to 120mm as standard, equal lengths from the central cam.
Most Night Latches (Yale Type Locks) are 5 pin but more and more common now, is 6 pin cylinders. This one extra pin makes a vast amount of difference to the security of the lock. Lets break down some numbers to give you an idea. The way a cylinder is made up is normally of a row of pins either 5 in a row or 6 in a row.
There are two ways to measure the sizes of the euro cylinder - either in the the door or take the cylinder out of the lock. Both are easy! Measure from the centre of the screw hole (X) to the edge of the handle backplate on the outside (O) and round up the size to the next 5mm increment i.e. 32mm = 35mm.
Anti-drill euro cylinder lock
However, most good quality drill bits will be able to drill through the pins, if they cannot easily be removed. Once the lock has been drilled to the end of the pin line, a small sharp/flat tool should be inserted into the keyhole to dislodge any remaining pin tumblers.
Measure from the outside edge of the door (including furniture) to the centre of your door. This is dimension A and is called the External Size to Centre. Next, measure from the inside edge of your door (including furniture) to the centre of your door to find dimension B, the Internal Size to Centre.
Euro cylinder locks are available in a variety of sizes to suit different doors. The length of lock you need will depend on the thickness of the door, so begin by measuring that. Typically, full-size euro lock sizes range between 60mm and 120mm, with the central cam located precisely halfway along the barrel.
Most locks use between six and eight pins, although some use as few as four or as many as ten. The devices have been widely used on vending machines, elevators, public computers, and bicycle locks.
Lishi lock pick originated in 2000 when Mr. Li created a reader for Volkswagen door locks. This unique tool allowed users to read wafer depths without first having to trap the wafers within the lock.
This basically means the lock has at least 5 spring loaded pins which lift up and down depending on the shape of your key. With 5 or more it makes the lock difficult to pick and therefore more secure (see image).
The lockset inside a deadbolt lock consists of a rotating barrel and five spring-loaded pins that fit into the barrel to prevent it from turning. The key pushes these pins up and out of the barrel, and that's what you're going to do with the pick.
A “Direct Code” is the exact numbers related to the cuts or the depths of each valley in your key. This is typically used to identify a specific key and how the lock should be combinated to allow the key to operate. For the most part, this happens from the lock manufacturer.
For example: If you have a door that is 44mm thick and your handle back plate is 10mm deep, the total length needed is 64mm (44+10+10mm). In this situation you would then normally use a 70mm cylinder which would allow for a small protrusion of the cylinder of 3mm on either side of the door.
How to fit a Euro Cylinder Lock correctly: The cylinder should not protrude more than 3mm from the handle. Ideally should be completely flush with no external overhang. The correct size of the cylinder is vital.
Insert the dial bore gauge into the first cylinder in the block. Arrange the instrument so that the head points straight across the cylinder from front to back (perpendicular with the cylinder block). Lower it into the opening until it's sitting about 1⁄2–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) below the rim.
Your cylinder locks should be as flush as possible with the handles, maximum projection is 5mm - if you current lock sticks out by more than 5mm either side of the hanldes then choose a smaller size.
Today's euro cylinders have enhanced security features such as anti-pick, anti-drill and both bump and snap resistance features built into the design as standard.